Tag: community

What is Airbnb?

Airbnb is a website that people can use to find, list and rent somewhere to stay. You can hire the entire place, a room in a shared house or a hotel/hostel room.

Airbnb began in 2008 when two designers who had space to share hosted three travellers looking for a place to stay. Now, millions of hosts and travellers choose to create a free Airbnb account so they can list their space and book unique accommodation anywhere in the world.

Why we chose Airbnb

As a family of five it is considerably hard to find somewhere that will accomodate us all without having to stay in a caravan, hotel suite or book rooms with an adjoining room. We decided to give Airbnb a go.

After setting up our account we were all ready to search for a booking that would suit us. It was simple so far and I couldn’t believe the amount of accommodations available for a family of our size.

I was a little apprehensive on how it would all work out. you hear some horror stories about people booking home s on line and them not turning out to be what they were expecting, but i guess you can get that with anything. I mean how bad could it be? We could always stay in the car if it was that bad..

Searching for a home

We had decided on visiting Snowdonia, Wales for my partners 40th birthday. So we roughly knew of the area that we wanted to stay in. Once we chose the area we then put in how many quests there were going to be and the dates that we wanted to book it for.

You can even refine the accommodation by price and choose the extra facilities that you are looking for.

We found a beautiful little cottage on the edge of Snowdonia National Park – the ideal location for a trip up Mount Snowdon.

A home for the weekend

The Welsh cottage was to be our home for the weekend, we had liaised with the owners about when we would arrive and was given the directions to their home.

Our home for the weekend

The cottage had 4 beds which accommodated up to 6 guests – perfect for us! A large kitchen, lounge, log burner, garden and a summerhouse with a moroccan tea room, a pool table and a dart board.

A warm welcome

We arrived late after travelling for 6 hours from London, it was dark and we wasn’t even sure if we were in the correct place. Searching for the pictures on Airbnb app to put our mind at rest before we attempted to enter the cottage.

We were given the code for the keysafe and once inside, we were knocked back by how beautiful this home was, it was full of character and so charming. The boys were elated with the summerhouse and couldn’t believe that there were ample of books and games to use.

Before arriving I had discussed via email with the hosts about putting up some banners for Paul’s birthday. As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by the banners and balloons that were up in the dining room. They had even left a birthday card for him. The hosts had left a fresh baked loaf on the table and milk in the fridge ready for our arrival.

A warm welcome

Dining table

Fresh loaf and butter

Our first day

As we were hiking up Mount Snowdon, we didn’t really hang around in the cottage that much. We had toast made from the lovely bread that was left for us and the boys had a game of pool whilst us adults were gathering things together for the trip up the Mountain.

Later on in the day when we arrived back, it was time for the boys to explore the surroundings and for me to get to know the kitchen. Everything in their home was there for us to use (apart from the food). It felt rather naughty going through someone’s drawers ( kitchen drawers). You can’t help but be a little nosy. We had a look at all of the decorations around the house, and there really was lots to look at. Hung on the rustic walls were decorated slates from the mines and scattered around the home and garden were painted stones.

Games night

The cottage didn’t have TV reception, although the wifi was good. We made the most of the games that were available and sitting around the log burner we played family games, we laughed and we enjoyed each others company in such charming surroundings. We felt at home.

A home from home

It really was a home from home. The boys didn’t want to come home.

The cottage more than what we had hoped for. A beautiful home in an equally beautiful location. We had a lovely time and was very grateful that the hosts wanted to share there homely home with us. I would not hesitate to go back again. It was a little weird at first being amongst someone else’s belongings, sleeping in their beds and eating from their plates but it soon began to feel warm and comfy.

The place was spacious, cosy, warm and comfortable. It had a special calming feel to it. We all just felt so relaxed.

We are now looking forward to our next adventure with airbnb in Malta and Gozo. I think this will be a totally different experience as they are holiday homes and not someone’s home that we will be staying in but still a new venture.